By SusanC HERWriter Guide October 26, 2010 - 7:39am

When I was a teen and into my 20s (I'm 40 now) we all had mothers or aunts or grandmothers who had hysterectomies. It was almost par for the course - difficult periods later in life - discomfort in perimenopause or menopause, cysts,....you name it, that uterus was coming out and all would be well in the world!

As I teen I believed it to be normal since it was all around me. But now, it's different. If a hysterectomy was advised to me, I'd get several different opinions and opt for everything but, unless my health was in great danger. The alternatives out there are too successful to just allow doctors to get rid of female body parts as if they no longer matter because they're not having babies anymore.

Does anyone else see a major shift in women asking more questions about hysterectomies and refusing them if they are not life saving?

Susan